Space telegraphy.



PATENTED APR. 7, 1908.

' J. S. STONE. SPACE TELEGRAPHY. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1906.

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J. S. STONE. SPACE TBLEGRAPHY. APPLICATION FILED Aug. 3, 1906'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN STONE STONE, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM W. SWAN.

TRUSTEE, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

' SPACE TELEGRAPHY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 7, 1908.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, JOHN STONE STONE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Im rovement in Space Telegraphy, of which t e following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of transmitting intelligence from one station to another by means of electromagnetic Waves without the use of wires to guide the waves to their destination; and it relates more particularly to systems for receiving signals transmitted by such waves.

The object of the resent invention is to so adjust the elevate conductor system of a wireless or space telegra h receiving system relative to an associate tuned or resonant receiving circuit or circuits that, first, a persistent train of electromagnetic waves of a predetermined'frequenc impin ing upon the elevated conductor shal cause t e associated circuit'or circuits to respond ener etically; that, second, a persistent train of electromagnetic waves of frequency other than said predetermined frequenc impingin upon the elevated conductor 5 all cause t e associated tuned or resonant circuit or circuits to respond but feebly or not at all; and that, third, abrupt or impulsive electric forces acting upon t e elevated conductor shall likewise produce but feeble res onse or no response at all in the associate tuned or resonant circuit or circuits.

The first and'second objects of this invention maybe attained by giving the elevated receiving conductor system a pronounced fundamental rate of vibration equal in frequency to that to which the tuned or resonant receiving circuit or circuits is attuned. The first and second objects of this invention may therefore be attained by placing a suit-. able inductance or capacity in the elevated conductor near its connection to earth, if it be an earthed conductor, or at the center of the receiving conductor, if it be an unearthed conductor, as thereby the receivingsystem will be given a pronounced and predetermined rate of vibration, much as a stretched string may be given a predetermined and more pronounced rate of vibration by the addition of a suitable load atits center. 'If, therefore, the loading inductance or ca acity added be made such as to give the e evated conductor system a prothe present invention nounced natural rate of vibration equal to the frequency to which the associated tuned or resonant receiving circuit or circuits is attuned, the first and second objects of the in vention will be realized. This simple expedient, however, is not sufficient to accomplish the third object of the present invention, and

for this purpose I may give the-elevated contically zero reactance or, at least, an impe-- dance low as compared to the impedance of the means by which the tuned or resonant receiving circuit or circuits is associated with the elevated conductor system, whereby such natural vibrations may be conducted to earth around such associatingmeans and hence prevented from passing through said means and thereby producing even a feeble response in the aforesaidtuned or resonant receiving circuit or circuits; and I may further provide means havin zero reactance for persistent trains of osc' lations slightly higher in frequency and slightly lower in frequency than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received for conducting persistent oscillations of said frequencies to earth and thereby preventing them from passing through the aforesaid means by which the receivingcircuit is associated wit the elevated conductor system.

In other Words, I accomplish the objects of the present invention by giving the elevated conductor system a pronounced natural rate of vibration different from that of the waves the energy of which is to be. received and, consequently, different from that to which the associated tuned or receiving circuit or circuits is attuned; by making the elevated,

conductor system highly responsive to per-' sistent trains of waves having the frequency of those the energy of which is to be received and, consequently, the frequency to which the associated tuned or resonant receiving trical oscillations of the frequency of the waves ance for the same frequency,that is to say,

.the resultant reactance of the elevated conreactance for a frequency higher than t at of the waves the energy of which is to be re- "ceived and the other having zero reactance osite in sign, Where circuit or circuits is attuned; by conveying such natural vibrations as may be develo ed in the elevated conductor by extraneous e cotrical impulses of frequency different from that to which the tuned or resonant receiving circuit or circuits is attuned or such as may be developed therein by abrupt or impulsive electrical forces, to earth around the means whereby said tuned or resonant receiving circuit or circuits is associated with the elevated conductor system; and finally by conveying persistent oscillations developed in the elevated conductor by persistent trains of waves of frequencies higher or lower than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received to earth around the aforesaid associating means.

One of the several embodiments of my invention whereby the above mentioned objects have'been realized in practice consists of an elevated conductor system comprising a circuit which may be a parallel branch circuit including capacity in one branch and inductance in the other branch, or which may be a circuit including a serially connected capacity and inductance, an elevated conductor and an earth connector; the elevated conductor and earth connector being connected in parallel with res ect to said circuit and each, when isolated, aving zero reactthe fundamental eriod of the elevated con- .ductor, when iso ated, being equal to the period of the earth connector, when isolated; and said circuit having for persistent electheenergy of which is to be received, a reactance equal in value and opposite in sign to ductor and its earth connector; and finally two circuits connected to the elevated conductor system in parallel with the aforesaid circuit, one of said two circuits havin zero fora frequency lower than that of said waves, andbeingso constructed and arranged that their reactances for the frequency of said waves are respectively equal in value and 0py their joint reactance or said frequency is practicall infinite. In this way, the earth connector etermines the most pronounced natural rate of vibration of the elevated conductor system because, for oscillations having such rate of vibration, the reaction of the circuit which as above stated ma be a arallel branch circuit, upon the rest of the e evated conductor system is zero, said circuit being shunted by the earth connector which for said oscillations has zero reactance. and practically zero impedance; the aforesaid circuit, by balancing the resultant reactance of the rest of the elevated conductor system for persistent electrical oscil- 1 lations having the frequency of the waves the energy of which is to be received, renders said system highly responsive to persistent oscillations of such frequency; the earth connector, having zero reactance and practically zero impedance for electrical oscillations having the frequency of the most ronounced natural rate of vibration of the el evated conductor system, conducts such natural oscillations as may be develo ed in the system to earth around'the aforesaid circuit with which the resonant receiving circuit or oscillation detector may be associated; and the aforesaid two circuits which have zero reactance for frequencies respectively higher and lower than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received conduct such persistent oscilla tions of frequencies in the neighborhood of those to which they are most responsive to earth around the aforesaid circuit with which the resonant receiving or oscillation detector is associated.

he present invention is a development of those described in my U. S. Letters Patent Nos. 767,994, dated Aug. 16, 1904, and 802,417, 802,421, 802,425 and 802,426, dated Oct. 24, 1905, to which reference may be had for a more complete explanation of certain of the general principles involved in the present application than need be set forth herein; and it is especially a development and extension of the inventions described in my ap lications Serial Nos. 329,094 and 329,096 ed simultaneously herewith to which reference may be had for an 'extended explanation of the specific principles involved.

My invention may best be understood by having reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this's ecification and which diagrammatically ilustrate one of the several organizations of circuits and apparatus whereby the hereinbefore stated objects may be conveniently realized in ractice.

n the drawings Figure 1 is a diagram representing a space telegraph receiving system constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 shows a set' of curves drawn to rectangular coordinates in which the ordinates represent reactances and the abscissae represent frequency and which is hereinafter referred to in explaining the mode construction and is herein shown as consisting of a Wollaston anode immersed in an electrolyte.

c T is asignal indicating device which may be a telephone receiver.

B is a battery and R is an adjustable resistance, said battery and resistance constitut- .ing a potentiometer.

The five essential elements of my invention are the elevated conductor V0, the earth connector 0E and the circuit 0E, the latter being shown in the present instance as a arallel branch circuit, and the two circuits 3 O and L 0,. My invention resides in the arrangement of the aforesaid elements and in the proportionment of their electromagnetic constants whereby the foregoing objects may be realized.

V0 is an elevated conductor which as shown herein consists of an elevated conductor per se and the serially connected coil L 0E is. an earth connector having zero reactance for the same frequency for which the elevated conductor V0 has zero reactance, so that for natural oscillations of a frequency equal to the most pronounced natural rate 0 vibration of the elevated conductor systern, the point 0 is a point having practically zero potential to earth.

The circuit 0E, which is shown herein as including the parallel branch circuit I C for persistent electrical oscillations of the frequency to which the resonant receiving circuit C I is attuned, has a reactance equal and opposite to the resultant reactance of the elevated conductor V0 and earth connector 0E which are connected in parallel with res ect to the circuit 0E..

The eevated conductor system consists of the elevated conductor V0, the earth connector 0E, the circuit 0E and the two circuits oE' -and 0E the elevated conductor, the earth connector and the aforesaid two circuits all being. connected in parallel with res ect to the circuit 0E.

- he circuit 0E which includes the serially connected inductance L and condenser C is attuned to a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is -to be received, and the circuit 0E which includes the serially connected inductance L and condenser C is attuned to a frequency lower than that of said waves. In the present instance the circuit 0E has zero reactance for a frequency equal to 1.05%, and'the circuit 0E has zero reactance forafrequency equal to 0.95%, n being the frequency to which the resonant receiving circuitis attuned. Inasmuch as in the present case the frequency of one of the two circuits 0E and 0E is as much higher than the frequency n as the frequency of the other is lower, it follows-that the selectance functions of said circuits must be equal so that the reactances of said circuits for the frequency it may be respectively equal in value and opposite in sign. It will be understood, however, that the foregoing relations between the frequency n and the frequencies to which the circuits 0E and 0E are most highly responsive are merely given as a concrete example of one manner of proportioning, constructing and arranging the constants of saidcircuits. It will be seen, of course, that the best results will be obtained when the reactances of said circuits for the frequency n are respectively equal in value and opposite in si so that for persistent trains of waves 0 the frequency n the joint reactance of said circuits on the driving point is practically infinite; and accordingly said circuits may be proportioned in any suitable manner for the accomplishment of the foregoing results. follows therefore that the selectance functions of said circuits need not be equal and that the frequencies for which they have zero reactance need not be symmetrical with the frequency of the waves the energy of which is to be received although this is the preferred arrangement.

For persistent electrical oscillations of the frequency to which the resonant receiving conductor system has zero reactance, because as more fully explained in my application Serial No. 329,094 the reactance of v,the circuit 0E is equal and opposite to the resultant reactance of the elevated conductor and its earth connector, and because as above explained the joint reactance of the circuits: 0E and 0E is infinite for said frequency.

C re resents the apparent capacity of the vertica or elevated conductor per se, and L represents the apparent inductance thereof. -In the earth connector 0E the coil L and condenser C may be so chosen that for persistent electrical oscillations of frequencies from zero to approximately the fundamental of the elevated conductor V0, the reactance of 0E is the same insign and approximately the samein value as the reactance of the elevated conductor; and V0 and 0E, when isolated, each has zero reactance for oscillations of the lowest frequency natural to the elevated conductor.

The circuit 0 I is a resonant receiving the energy of which is to be received and associated in the present instance with the inductance branch of the parallel branch circuit. The oscillation detector W and the local circuit including the same may be associated with the resonant receiving circuit in any suitable manner, and in the present instance said circuit is shown as con nected across the terminals of the condenser 0 Although the oscillation detector .is

shown in the present instance as associated circuit C I is attuned, the aforesaid elevated circuit attuned to the frequency of the waves- 7 with the elevated conductor by means of the circuit 0E through the intermediary of the resonant receiving circuit, I do not limit myself to such means for associating said oscillation detector with said elevated conductor inasmuch as other means will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. It has before been stated that in lieu of connecting the parallel branch circuit I C between the point 0 and the earth connection E, asin my application Serial No. 329,094 I may connect a serially connected inductance and capacity between 0 and E, as in my application Serial N 0. 329,096. In either event the operation of the system consisting of the elevated conductor V0 and its earth connector which are both connected in parallel with the circuit 0E, is the same as described at length in said applications respectively. Accordingly having set forth herein the general principles of my invention so far as the three elements V0, 0E and 0E are concerned, and having described the same at length in the aforesaid applications, I shall now describe specifically the operations effected by the circuits 0151 and 0E wherein the present invention solely difiers from those described in the above mentioned applications.

Referring to Fig. 2, the curve (3) shows the variation with frequency for persistent electrical forces of the reactance of the circuit 0E and the curve (4) shows the variation with frequency for such forces of the reactance of the circuit 0E The curve (5), which is obtained by adding the reciprocals of curves (3) and (4) to obtain the joint conductance of the circuits 0E and 0H),, and then finding the reciprocal of such joint conductance, represents the variation with frequency for persistent electrical forces of the parallel branch circuit, the branches of which include. the serially connected 'inductance and capacity L 0 and the serially connected inductance and capacity L 0,, respectively. The curve (5) crosses the axis of abscissae at two points herein shown as 0.95% and 1.0512, and accordingly in the present example the aforesaid arallel branch circuit has zero reactance for requencies 5% (five per cent.) higher and 5% (five per cent.) lower than the frequency for which the elevated conductor system has zero reactance and to which the resonant receiving circuit is attuned. The ordinates of the curve (5) for frequency n are infinite and accordingly for persistent electrical forces of said freuency no current passes to earth by way of t e branches 0E and 0E It follows there fore that the frequency, namely, n, for which the reactance of the circuit 0E is equal and opposite to the resultant reactance of the elevated conductor V0 and its earth connector 0E, is not altered by connecting the two circuits 0E and 0E to the point 0.

The earth connector 0E having zero reactance for the same frequency as the fundamental of the elevated conductor V 0, namely the frequency n, it follows that the most pronounced natural rate of vibration of the system VoE is not altered by connecting the circuit 0E to said system at the point 0, because for oscillations, either natural or forced of frequency n, the circuit 0E is shunted by the circuit 0E which for said oscillations has zero reactance. In like mannerit follows that the most pronounced natural rate of Vibration of the system consisting of the elevated conductor V0 and earth connector 0E connected in parallel with the circuit 0E is not altered by connecting the circuits 0E and 0E to said system at the point 0, the

circuits 0E and 0131 being shunted by the circuits 0E which for oscillations having said rate of vibration has zero reactance. Accordingly it will be seen that the most pronounced rate of vibration of the elevated conductor system considered as a whole is equal to the frequency a, and that therefore oscillations developed in the elevated conductor b abrupt or impulsive electrical forces w'l assume said frequency and will pass to earth. by way of the path 0E without affecting the resonant receiving circuit; that persistent trains of electrical oscillation of requency n will not pass to earth by way of the paths 0E and 0E because the'joint reactance of said paths which form a parallel branch circuit is ractically infinite for oscillations of said requency; that persistent trains of oscillations of frequency n will pass to earth chiefly through the circuit 0E because for said frequency the reactance of the arallel branch circuit I C balances the oint reactance of the elevated conductor V0 and earth connector 0E, the circuits 0E and 0E having no effect on such balance owing to the fact that they in parallel present an infinite reactance to persistent oscillations of said fre uency n; and finallythat persistent trains o oscillations of frequencies respectively higher and lower than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received will pass to earth by way of the paths 0E and 0E which are made highly responsive to persistent oscillations of frequencies higher and lower, respectively, than that to which theelevated conductor system is made res onsive. It will be seen that although in t e present instance the circuits 0E and 0E are so constructed and arranged as to have zero reactance for frequencies five per cent. (5%) higher and five er cent. (5%) lower, respectively, than the requency n, each will have. for a relatively wide range of fre uencies on either side of that to whichit 1s attuned, a reactance much lower than that of the circuit 0E, and that the circuits 0E and 0E may be made to provide almost any degree of protection to the circuit 0E and the of-circuits associated with the elevated conductor system, one having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received and the other having zero reactance fora frequency lower than that of said waves, the said cir-'- cuits being so constructed and arranged that their reactances for the fre uency of said waves are, res ectively, equal and opposite in sign, it will e understood that an obvious extension of my invention wouldconsist in employing a plurality of such pairs of circuits so groportioned that, pair by pair,. they won d exhibit in general the characteristics above described in connection with the pair of circuits 0E and 0E,, the two members of each pair of circuits having, respectively, zero reactance for frequencies different from those for which the two members of any other pair have zero reactance and the joint reactance of each pair in parallel, for the frequency of the waves the energy of which is to be received, being practically infinite.

I claim,

1. In aspace telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system comprising a parallel branch circuit including capacity in one branch and inductance in the other branch, an elevated conductor and an earth connector; said elevated conductor and earth connector being connected in arallel with respect to said parallel branc circuit; in

combination with two circuits connected to the elevated conductor system in parallel with the'aforesaid parallel branch circuit, one of said circuits having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to berreceived, and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves.

2. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system comprising a parallel branch circuit including ca acity in one branch and inductance. in t e other branch, an elevated conductor and an earth connector, said elevated conductor and earth connector being connected in parallel with respect to said arallel branch circuit and each, when isolate having zero reactance for the same definite frequency; in combination with two circuits connected to the elevated conductor system in parallel with the aforesaid parallel branch circuit, one of said circuits having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received, and the other having zero reactancefor a frequency lower than that of said waves.

3. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system comprising a parallel branch circuit including ca acity in one branch and inductance in t e other branch, an elevated'conductor and an earth connector; said elevated conductor and earth connector being connected in parallel with respect to said parallel branch circuit, and sai parallel branch circuit having, for persistent electrical oscillations of the frequency v of the waves the energy of which is to be re-' ceived, a reactance equal and o posite to the resultant reactance of said e evated conductor and its earth connector; in combi nation with two circuits connected to the elevated conductor system in parallel with the aforesaid parallel branch circuit, one of said circuits having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the Waves the energy of- Which is to be received, and the other having one branch and inductance in t e other branch, an elevated conductor and an earth connector; said elevated conductor and earth connector being connected in parallel with ant reactance of said elevated conductor and its earth connector; in combination with two circuits connectedto the elevated conductor system in parallel with the aforesaid parallel branch circuit, one of said circuits having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received, and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves.

5. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system comprising a parallel branch circuit including capacity in one branch and inductance in t e other branch, a circuit including inductance and capacity connected across the terminals of said parallel branch circuit, and two circuits connected tothe elevated conductor system in parallel with the aforesaid parallel branch circuit, one of said circuits having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of thewaves the energy of which is to be received, and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves.

resplect to said parallel branch circuit and when isolated, having zero reactance for the same definite frequency; and said 6. In a space telegraph receiving system, i

an elevated receiving conductor, an oscilla' tion detector, means associating said oscilla= tion detector with said elevated-conductor; a circuit-connected around said means-and determining the most pronounced natural period of the elevated conductor system, said circuit being so constructed and arranged as to constitute a path of low impedance for natural oscillations of such period, and two circuits connected to the elevated conductor system in arallel With the aforesaid means, one of sai circuits having zero reactancefor a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received, and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves.

7. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system comprising a circuit, an elevated conductor and an earth connector; said elevated conductor and earth connector being connected in parallel with respect to said circuit; in combination with two circuits connected to the elevated conductor system in parallel with the first mentioned circuit, one of the last mentioned circuits having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received, and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves.

8. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system constructed and arranged to be highly responsive to persistent electrical oscillations of a definite frequency, and two circuits each including a serially connected inductance and capacity associated with said elevated conductor system, the inductance and capacity of one of said circuits being so proportioned that said circuit is highly responsive to electrical oscillations of a frequency higher than that to which the elevated conductor system is responsive, and the inductance and capacity of the other circuit being so proportioned that the latter is highly responsive to electrical oscillations of a frequency lower than that to which the elevated conductor system is responsive.

9. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system comprising a parallel branch circuit including capacity in one branch and inductance in the other branch, an elevated conductor and an earth connector; said elevated conductor and earth connectorbeing connected in parallel with resplect to said parallelbranch circuit and eac the same definite frequency; and said parallel branch circuit having, for persistent electrical oscillations of the frequency of the waves the energy of which is to be received, a reactance equal and opposite to the resultant reactance of the elevatedconductor and its earth connector; in combination with two circuits connected to the elevated conductor system in parallel with the aforesaid parallel branch circuit, one of said circuits having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that, of the Waves the energy of which is to be received and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves, and being so constructed and arwhen isolated, having zero reactance for ranged that their joint reactance is practically infinite for the frequency of said waves. 10. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system having zero reactance for persistent electrical oscillations of the frequency of the waves the energy of which is to be received, and two circuits associated with said elevated conductor system, one having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves, and being so constructed and arranged that their joint reactance is practically infinite for the frequency of said waves.

11. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system constructed and arranged to be highly responsive to persistent electrical oscillations of a definite frequency, and two circuits associated with said elevated conductor system, one having a relatively low reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received and the other having a relatively low reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves, the said circuits being so constructed and arranged that their joint reactance is relatively high for the frequency of said waves.

12. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system constructed and arranged to be highly responsive to persistent electrical oscillations of a definite freuency, and two circuits associated-with said e evated conductor system, one having zero reactance for a frequency higher than that of the waves the energy of which is to be received and the other having zero reactance for a frequency lower than that of said waves, the said circuits being so constructed and arranged that their reactances for the frequency of said waves are respectively equal in value and opposite in sign.

13. In a space telegraph receiving system, an elevated conductor system constructed and arranged to be highly responsive to persistent electrical oscillations of a definite freuency, and two circuits associated with said e evated conductor system, said circuits being so constructed and arranged that their reactances for the frequency of the waves the energy of which is to be received are respectively equal in value and opposite in sign and their joint reactance'for said frequency is practically infinite.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 31st day of July, 1906.

JOHN STONE STONE."

Witnesses:

GEO. K. WOODWORTH, E. B. ToMLINsoN. 

